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135th anniversay of the track to Waratah Bay
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DetailsBoat builder, Edward Windybank, went down to Waratah Bay, on Cowan Creek, in 1888. There he started from scratch to set up an operation to service the tourist trade that came out from Sydney to appreciate the extraordinary beauty of the area.
In 1894 the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park became Australia’s second national park to be declared (after the Royal National Park in April 1879) and Windybank had a distinct advantage by already being well established for the inevitable rush of tourism. However, the big disadvantage he had was the inaccessibility of Cowan Creek with a very rough track down from Berowra Railway Station or a boat trip the only ways to get to the area.
In the 1880s Australia was in a severe Depression which was made worst by terrible drought conditions. To assist the Government had a number of Public Works programs. In early December 1885 it was recognized a number of the unemployed and their families needed further support prior to Christmas.
Several potential projects were considered and after some debate it was decided the “road” from Berowra Railway Station to Cowan Creek the most suitable work that could be completed before Christmas. In favour of the project it was said, “a road from Berowra Station down to Cowan Creek would do much to popularize the Ku-ring-gai Chase, and add to the railway traffic”.
400 married men were selected and transported out to Berowra via steam train to work under the Department of Public Works, with the whole project costing £600. At the conclusion of two weeks work it was reportedly done very satisfactorily. “The track was 8 feet wide, with fairly even grade, and quite equal to all demands for foot and horse traffic. A substantial bridge was also constructed across the creek, the timber for which was felled on the ground”.
The engineer reported, “most of the men returned to Sydney on the 21st December, with 30 men left behind to leave everything in good order. There was not a single hitch from start to finish, and the men worked splendidly. It was not found necessary to discharge a single hand, and only one man left”.
The work on the Waratah Bay Track was indeed quality work, specially designed to zig zag and minimize steep climb. The quality can still be seen today with many of the 135-year-old drains constructed under the track still working as they were originally designed, despite absolutely no maintenance. However, the wooden bridge did not last, as it was washed away by built up debris during a prolonged storm. It was replaced for a time by a suspension bridge but that also had a limited life.
The track must have still been in very good condition in the mid-1930s as, reportedly, brothers Ron and Jack Overton once drove an old car all the way down to Waratah Bay, just before the Second World War. The car did not make it back up.
The next time you walk down the track to Waratah Bay take the time to appreciate the quality work of those unemployed men performed 135 years ago.
CreatorNathan TilburyKeywordsCowan Creek Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
In 1894 the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park became Australia’s second national park to be declared (after the Royal National Park in April 1879) and Windybank had a distinct advantage by already being well established for the inevitable rush of tourism. However, the big disadvantage he had was the inaccessibility of Cowan Creek with a very rough track down from Berowra Railway Station or a boat trip the only ways to get to the area.
In the 1880s Australia was in a severe Depression which was made worst by terrible drought conditions. To assist the Government had a number of Public Works programs. In early December 1885 it was recognized a number of the unemployed and their families needed further support prior to Christmas.
Several potential projects were considered and after some debate it was decided the “road” from Berowra Railway Station to Cowan Creek the most suitable work that could be completed before Christmas. In favour of the project it was said, “a road from Berowra Station down to Cowan Creek would do much to popularize the Ku-ring-gai Chase, and add to the railway traffic”.
400 married men were selected and transported out to Berowra via steam train to work under the Department of Public Works, with the whole project costing £600. At the conclusion of two weeks work it was reportedly done very satisfactorily. “The track was 8 feet wide, with fairly even grade, and quite equal to all demands for foot and horse traffic. A substantial bridge was also constructed across the creek, the timber for which was felled on the ground”.
The engineer reported, “most of the men returned to Sydney on the 21st December, with 30 men left behind to leave everything in good order. There was not a single hitch from start to finish, and the men worked splendidly. It was not found necessary to discharge a single hand, and only one man left”.
The work on the Waratah Bay Track was indeed quality work, specially designed to zig zag and minimize steep climb. The quality can still be seen today with many of the 135-year-old drains constructed under the track still working as they were originally designed, despite absolutely no maintenance. However, the wooden bridge did not last, as it was washed away by built up debris during a prolonged storm. It was replaced for a time by a suspension bridge but that also had a limited life.
The track must have still been in very good condition in the mid-1930s as, reportedly, brothers Ron and Jack Overton once drove an old car all the way down to Waratah Bay, just before the Second World War. The car did not make it back up.
The next time you walk down the track to Waratah Bay take the time to appreciate the quality work of those unemployed men performed 135 years ago.
CreatorNathan TilburyKeywordsCowan Creek Ku-ring-gai Chase National ParkRelated
CollectionNathan Tilbury
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Nathan Tilbury, 135th anniversay of the track to Waratah Bay. Hornsby Shire, accessed 14/01/2026, https://hornsbyshire.recollect.net.au/nodes/view/5455